MRC Pontiac announced July 30 that the construction of a bridge near kilometre 54 on chemin du Bois Franc (Jim’s Lake Road) in the region’s non-organized territories (TNO) will soon begin.
The road has been impassable since a washout took out a large culvert in late April, scraping a large cut in the road. Instead of replacing the culvert, Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources determined that a bridge would be necessary. The road is a main artery into the TNO, though there is a detour currently available via chemin Schyan.
The MRC council approved up to $80,000 for the project at their May meeting.
In a statement on social media, the MRC announced that according to information provided, the construction would start the week of Aug. 10.
“Due to the complexity of the project, the work is expected to take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to complete,” the MRC’s update reads. “We will provide an update once construction is finished and the road is reopened.”
The statement urges the public to not park their vehicles near the construction site, and use the detour route. It also notes that no fee is required to traverse ZEC St-Patrice via the main road only.
